Local bricklayer aims to be top trowel

Local bricklayer aims to be top trowel

photo submitted

Filipe Orfao is vying to win the title of World’s Fastest Bricklayer in a competition in Las Vegas this week after coming a close second last year (pictured here), landing just 38 bricks short of victory.

For weeks, Filipe Orfao has been building a 26-foot long double-brick wall in his garage, tearing it down, only to build it all over again, faster.

Anyone who witnessed the Cambridge man’s behaviour might have suggested he could be a few bricks short of a load. And really, they wouldn’t be far off the mark. But make no mistake, there’s nothing crazy about the Cambridge master mason.

This garage-floor bricklaying practice time was pure preparation for another shot at the title of world’s fastest bricklayer. Orfao, already crowned the Ontario champion bricklayer, is currently in Las Vegas competing in the World of Concrete World of Masonry trade show’s World’s Fastest Bricklayer competition.

This is third bid to take the title. Last year, he was just 38 bricks short of the top spot, a victory that awards the victor $100,000 in cash and prizes. In an hour, Orfao laid 547 bricks. In a normal work day, a mason might lay 700 to 800 bricks.

The second place finish last year made Orfao even more determined this year.

“I’m going to try and do my best,” he told the Cambridge Times in an interview from Las Vegas on Tuesday. “It’s very intensive. These guys are the best in the world.”

The competition was set for Wednesday, after this newspaper’s press deadline.

The masters competition challenges masons from around the world to build a 26-foot-long, double-brick wall, complete with mortar. Orfao qualified for the international event after laying 620 bricks at the Eastern Canadian Spec Mix Bricklayer 500 Regional Competition at Conestoga College.

But the fastest trowel doesn’t necessarily take the crown, he explained. Judges will penalize competitors with 50-brick deductions if their layers of brick aren’t plumb or if there are gaps in the mortar. And the judges aren't looking to make friends, he said. They’re picky.

“They’re going to check all the walls,” said Orfao. “If you make any mistakes, the judges are going to knock some bricks off.”

While laying bricks might seem like a nasty job, it’s a labour of love for Orfao, who works for Squire Masonry in Innisfil.

“I just love my job,” he said.

And that’s probably one reason he's good at it.

One could also say that bricklaying is in his blood. His father was a mason, and so are his six brothers who taught him the tricks of the trade. In fact, his brother Jose will be assisting him in the competition, handing him bricks and prompting him to work faster.

His wife and daughters are in Las Vegas, cheering him on. Results of the competition can be seen on the Internet at www.specmixbricklayer500.com.